Top Ten Reasons Why Year-Long, Co-Teaching is a Benefit for the Candidate

1. Experience is in the same classroom all year long – Students, schedules, school, and classroom environment already familiar to the teacher candidate. – Familiarity with the mentor teacher. – Ability to begin co-teaching on very first day in January. – No time wasted observing. 2. Transitions – Seamless collaboration between co-teaching pair. – Students know they can go to either co-teacher for help. – Eventually, no lead teacher- both are leading the students at the same time. – Smooth, easy transition for teacher candidates solo teaching time.

3. Reaching each student – More one-on-one time and small group work with students. – Ability to teach to multiple learning styles. – More content can be re-taught in smaller learning groups; thus, higher levels of learning show in the increased test scores. – Ability to have better classroom management- two teachers, four eyes. 4. Availability of mentor teacher – Collaborative planning- short term and long term throughout the year. – The co-teachers meet to plan on a weekly basis, sharing ideas of best practices and strategies to teach the content. – Lead teacher is always available to help work with small groups.

5. Management – Immediate feedback from lead teacher helps teacher candidate reflect and gain more expertise. – Different management techniques are shared and attempted. – Teacher candidate has time to learn from lead teacher, try out the suggestions on his or her own, and then go back and reflect with and learn from the mentor teacher. 6. Feedback – Constant back-and-forth support between the mentor teacher and the teacher candidate; each one learning from the other. – Teacher candidate goes beyond basic learning about what to do, but actually has the ability to focus on content and student learning.

7. Solo teaching time – Opportunities for candidate to try out all he or she has learned; solo environments are available. – When a substitute teacher may be present, the teacher candidate will find the best way to engage the substitute teacher in the classroom activities. – The focus is always on student learning. 8. A lifelong mentor teacher – Close relationship is formed. – The mentor teacher becomes one from whom the teacher candidate can always seek advice in his or her own future classroom.

9.Methods Classes on Site – The connection between theory and practice is made. – A regular exchange of information about innovative educational practices between teachers and university faculty. 10.Logistics – The teacher candidate will be able to assist the mentor teacher with closing the classroom at the end of the year and opening the classroom at the beginning of the year. – The teacher candidate will be able to help make decisions about the classroom. – The co-teaching pair will participate in all professional development opportunities for the district.